The church-history of Brittany from the beginning of Christianity to the Norman conquest under Roman governours, Brittish kings, the English-Saxon heptarchy, the English-Saxon (and Danish) monarchy ... : from all which is evidently demonstrated that the present Roman Catholick religion hath from the beginning, without interruption or change been professed in this our island, &c. / by R.F., S. Cressy of the Holy Order of S. Benedict.

XVII. CHAP.* 1.1

1.2. &c. Of S. Edilwald successour to Saint Cuthbert in his Hermitage of Earn-Island.

5.6. &c. The Gests of Saint Sexburga Queen, and Abbesse▪ and of her holy Daughters Saint Eartongatha and Saint Ermenilda.

1. THE same year dyed S. Edilwald,* 1.2 and is commemorated in our Martyrologe on the three and twentieth of March. He was brought up a Monk in the Monastery of Rippon,* 1.3 and afterward saith S. Beda, he succee∣ded the Holy man of God S. Cuthbert in the exer∣cise of a Solitary life in the Isle of Farne, having many years before by worthy and pious actions adorned the degree of Preist-hood which he recei∣ved in the Monastery called Inripum (Rippon.) For a proof of his Merits and Holines I will con∣tent my self with relating one Miracle, which was told mee by a Religious Monk, who was one of the persons for whose sake it was wrought. His name was Godfrid, a venerable servant of Christ and a Preist, and was afterward Abbot of the Monaste∣ry and Church of Lindesfarn, in which he had had his education.

2. On a certain time, said he, I came with two of my Brethren to the Isle of Farne, out of a desire to enioy the conversation of the Reverend Father Edilwald. Afterward having been much refreshed with his pious discourse, & having asked his Benediction, as we were sayling home wards, on a sudden in the midway our former calm was in∣terrupted, and so furious a storm came upon us, that neither ••ares nor sayles could help us at all, but we expected every moment to be swallowd up by the waves. Having a good while thus in vain stroven against the wind and Sea, we at last looked back upon the Isle from whence we were come, to see if by any meanes we might return thither. But wee found that the tempest equally threatned us on all sides, so that we were in utter despair of es∣caping.

3. As we were earnestly looking toward the Isle of Farne, we perceived the most pious Father Edilwald, who was come out of his solitary retire∣ment to see what became of us. For having heard the noise of the winds and roaring of the Sea he was for that purpose come abroad: And having perceived the great paines wee took, and the

extremity of our danger he fell on his knees, ear∣nestly praying to God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ for our safety and escape. He had no sooner ended his Prayer, but immediatly the swelling waves grew smooth, the raging tempest ceased, and the winds favouring our voyage caried us prosperously and evenly to land. Where being arrived we had no sooner drawn up the boat to dry ground, but presently the same Tempest, which for awhile had for our sakes been interrupted, retur∣ned with its former violence, and the whole day after never ceased to rage: by which we evidently saw that the short pause intervening had been procured by the Holy man of Gods prayer made for our escape.

4. The same Holy man remained in the Isle of Farne the space of twelve years, and there ended his Life: But he was buried in the Isle of Lindes∣farn, neer the Bodies of the glorious Bishops Saint Cuthbert and Saint Eadbert, in the Church of the Apostle Saint Peter. These things hapned in the days of King Alfrid, who after his Brother Egfrid governed the Nation of the Northumbers eighteen years.

5. In our Martyrologe likewise wee read a commemoration of the Deposition of Saint Sexburga assigned to this year. She was daughter of Anna the pious King of the East-Saxons. From her infancy she, after the example of her other Sisters, was disposed to vertue and piety. And being come to a more ripe age, though her earnest desire was to consecrate her Virginity to God, yet by the importunat request of Erc••mbert King of Kent, she was by her Parents given him to wife. And Almighty God, who shewed himself admirable in the purity of her Virgin Sister Saint Ediltrudis, was no lesse glorified another way in the piety of Saint Sexburga. The Province of Kent, of which she became Queen, stood in need of one who might be a shining light and pattern to that Sexe. For King Ercombert, though hey•• of his Pred••cessours Faith and piety, yet wanted the zeale and courage to extirpate Idolatry out of his Kingdom, in which as yet no Law had interdicted the publick worship of Idols. This defect was supplied by his vertuous Queen, whose assiduous exhorta∣tions had that power upon him, that in a short time the whole nation by their united industry conspired in the worship of the One true God.

6. The Kingdom being purged from this deadly pollution, became disposed for the reception of greater degrees of Piety. Hence a Law was promulgated for the due observatiō of Lent, which though from the beginning commanded by Ecclesiasticall Constitutions, yet for a due Observation of it stood in need of the Civill authority, and temporall penal∣ties. This Act of zeale our Annals ascribe principally to this vertuous Queen Sex∣burga. By whose suggestion likewise Or∣naments were provided for Altars and Churches, and severall Monasteries erected by the Kings munificence.

7. One speciall place the Queen her self made choice of, which she endowed, enri∣ched and dedicated to be a habitation of Religious Virgins. It was seated in that part of Kent where the River Medway disburdening it self into the Sea, makes an Island fruitfull in pastures, and which there, fore from the abundance of Sheep feeding there is called the Isle of Shepey. To this place her desire was to confine herself: but God thought 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to delay the execution of her desires, that she might with no lesse merit, and far more labour in her high condition afford ex∣amples of vertue and piety to all her Sub∣jects. Which she performed in a most ad∣mirable manner, being as the Authour of her Life describes her,* 1.4 a most reverenced Mi∣stresse to the Great ones, and a kind Patronesse to the poor: The former observed her as a Princesse, and the l••tter as a Mother: Those venerated her Majesty, these admired her humility: To the Nobles she was awfull, and to meaner persons she seemed equall: To all she was amiable, and to all venerable, rarely seen in throngs, but frequent in Churches.

8. Four and twenty years she raigned with her husband King Ercombert: but he dying in the year of Grace six hundred sixty four, and thereby she being left free to her self, would be a Queen no longer: but after she had seen the Commonweale settled, saith Harpsfeild,* 1.5 like a bird which had been a long time enclosed in a Cage, she gladly escaped out of it, and devesting her self of all her Royall Ornaments and marks of worldly pomp and pride, she betook her self to the Society of Sacred Vir∣gins in the Citty of Ely, governed then by her Sister the most glorious Virgin Ediltr••dis, or Ethelreda. Fifteen years she lived under her disciplin, being therefore more assiduous in devotion, and more rigorous in mortifi∣cations, because she came later then the rest to that School of Piety.

9. In the end she buried her Blessed Sister, and by the Vnanimous votes of her com∣panions the Religious Virgins, was chosen Abbesse in her place, as hath been already de∣clared in the Gests of the year of Grace six hundred seaventy nine. In which charge, being to afford documents and examples of all vertues to others, she was more vigi∣lant over herself, more circumspect in her actions and more fervent in her prayers to God, as being to give an account to him for so many soules besides her own.

10. Having spent sixteen years more with all Perfection in this Office, at last being mind∣full of her dear Sister, the constant opinion of whose Sanctity had taken deep root in all minds▪ she thought fitt to take up her ashes, and translate them to a more honourable place. But how instead of empty ashes she found her Sisters body as entire, as fresh and sweet as if she had rested in sleep, wee have already declared. To conclude after she had

with admirable constancy and fervour per∣formed the course appointed her by God, she was this year called to receive a heavenly crown: so that the day before the Nones of Iuly she followed her Sister to heaven leaving a command that her Body should be enterred together with her Sisters.

11. From so holy a roote there sprung two most fragrant and beautifull flowers, her daughters, S. Eartongatha, and S. Erminilda. Of the former we have treated already. As for S. Erminilda she was, as hath been said, maried to Wulfere King of the Mercians, whose mind she inclined to all piety. After her Husbands death, she with her daughter S. Werburga, as her Mother formerly had done, consecrated her self to our Lord in the same Monastery of Ely, where entring into the Royall path of Humility, she behaved her self more submissly then the rest, as her de∣sire was more earnest to approach nearer to our Lord. This was so gratefull to all, that her Mother Sexburga being dead, she by the unanimous suffrages of her Religious Sisters was elected to succeed in her office of Ab∣besse of that famous Monastery.

* 1.612. The year of S. Erminilda's death is not recorded. But her Deposition is commemo∣rated in our Martyrologe on the Ides of Fe∣bruary:

13. The summ of what concerns these three Holy Princesses and Religious Abbesses is thus breifly sett down by William of Malms∣bury, The most happy Lady Edildrida,* 1.7 says he, first founded the Monastery of Religious Virgins at Ely. After her her Sister Sexburga, who had been wife of Ercombert King of Kent, and Mother of the most Holy Virgin Ercongetta, lived to her old age in the same place under the Religious pro∣fession and Title of Abbesse. And there succee∣ded her in the government of the same Abbey her other Daughter Erminilda, who had been wife of Wulfere King of the Mercians, and Mother of the holy Virgin Wereburga. These three in con∣tinued successions were Abbesses there.

14. This only is to be added in this place, That this holy Queen and Abbesse Sexburga is different from another Queen of the same name, wife to Kenwalch King of the West-Sa∣xons, who after his death in the year of Grace six hundred seaventy four governed the same Kingdom▪ But either willingly, or for∣ced thereto by a faction of the Nobility which refused to be ruled by a woman, retired to a quiet Religious life, as hath before been declared.

Notes

• * 1.1

  XVII. CH.
• * 1.2

  Martyrolog. Ang. 23. 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.3

  Bed. l. 5 c. 1.
• * 1.4

  ••p. Capgrav. in S. Sex∣burga.
• * 1.5

  Harpsf. saec. 7. c. 24.
• * 1.6

  Martyr. Aug. 13. Feb.
• * 1.7

  Malmsb. de Pont. l. 4.